Love, or something like it
by The Dirtwater Fox
Summary: When everything is makebelieve, if you hope hard enough, can it be made real?
1. Chapter 1

Title: Love, or something like it.  
By: Kou Dirtwater Fox  
Rating: M for Adult Content  
Genre: Romance.  
Summary: When everything is make believe, if you hope hard enough, can it be made real?  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, why the hell would I be writing for free?

Set against the backdrop of an early morning's haze, Naruto found himself lost in thought. Glancing out the window, the coming of dawn was watched with eyes that didn't see any of what went on in front of them. He was silent, save for the occasional sigh, his mind on matters of personal importance. 'Perhaps,' he mused, 'none if it actually happened. Perhaps it really was a dream?' It had been wholly unlike any dream previous, and the familiar burn of Youkai-healing made it hard to discount the countless tears in his skin. Certainly, what had occurred was a singularly amazing event. One that, even still, sent pleasant tingles across his skin and a flush to his cheeks whenever his attention concentrated too much on any aspect.

There was a sigh, one that sounded suspiciously like contentment to Naruto's ears, from the only other occupant of the room. Saved, for the moment, from having to think too much about it - his head canted to the side, giving him the chance to look her over. This wasn't necessarily a good idea however, decided a less-than-comfortable Naruto a moment later. For there, not four feet from his position at the window, lay a sight that would leave his erstwhile sensei, 'Ero-senin', comatose and suffering from blood loss.

Ino Yamanaka slept peacefully; blissfully unaware of the intense physical discomfort she was causing Naruto. At just an inch taller than himself, and blessed with eyes of the purest blue, silken tresses of pure gold and a body that belonged in magazines, Naruto would have been lying to himself if he had ever once denied how beautiful the girl was. Even in his Sakura chasing days, Naruto's evening fantasies had often been full of unwrapping Ino's bandages with all the excitement of a kid at Christmas, and now here she was.

Bathed in the moonlight, her creamy complexion held an ethereal glow. To say the sight of Ino's nude body, stretched out across his futon with only a single sheet draped teasingly across her hips, was an erotic dream, would be a severe understatement. A passing wisp of cloud shifted the light so that it played across her perfect breasts, accenting the delicious swell in such a way that it made Naruto's heart race. Naruto groaned inwardly and, biting his lip as a distraction, he shifted his legs about until the tension level decreased.

"Damn her!" His frustrated curse didn't make it any further than his own ears, but a small grin formed upon Ino's lips none-the-less. Were it not for the gentle rise and fall of her chest, Naruto would almost believe it was meant for him. With a long-suffering sigh, Naruto returned his eyes to the window, and his mind to its queries. Mere thought hadn't gotten him the answers he craved, so he tried a new approach. Flashing back, he soon found himself on his last day in Konoha where it had all begun; Tsunade-baa-chan's office. Soon, he was back to where it all began... Tsunade-baa-chan's office.

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The door opened with such force that it shook on its hinges. Half a second later, Konohas infamous prankster tumbled into the room with a breathless, "Uzumaki Naruto reporting!" He quickly rose out of his crouch and attempted to straighten into a proper stance of attention. His ears perked in warning after picking up the teeth grinding that was the unmistakable sound of Tsunade's impatient frustration. Heeding the alert, he quickly forced his spine into fully up right position. Once he, and more importantly; Tsunade, was satisfied with his performance, he took the time to survey the other occupants of the room in hopes for clues as to the reason he was called forth.

Behind her desk, Tsunade was garbed in the ceremonial robes of Konoha's Hokage, which, by itself, was an indication of the seriousness of the matter. To Naruto's left, Ino Yamanaka stood at rigid attention, her outfit and make up flawless despite the rush order that had been put on the summons. Naruto often found himself wondering at this ability of hers. Was it some Jutsu that was passed down by women alone? He was unsure, but when he spotted the third person in the room, his thoughts shifted immediately.

Standing there beside the Hokage was a man clothed in the unmistakable dressings of an envoy for the ruling class. Whatever the mission was, the envoy's presence alone was an indication that it would be very difficult, and very interesting. Naruto unconsciously straightened his posture to one of perfect military precision, eyes fixated straight ahead in a show of respect.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Yamanaka Ino, the two of you have been selected for a very special mission. While I will not go into detail just yet, I will say that this assignment will require both of you to be in top form." Ino and Naruto had both nodded, masking the excitement that coursed through each of them as Tsunade and the envoy explained the need for stealth, intelligence, tactical knowledge, power and, amusingly enough, the need for both of their over the top personalities. Their enthusiasm had been rewarded with twin migraines as their roles were explained in more depth.

Their mission; Fire Countries tourist town of Edo Bay had become fraught with underhanded merchants that sold more than trinkets and souvenirs. An experimental party drug originating somewhere outside Fire Countries borders was, even now, wreaking havoc amongst the population. The cities numerous night clubs and rave sites were churning out more and more DOA's and coma victims every day. Edo Bay's laughable police force had been, thus far, incapable of even stemming the flow of such dark business. Konoha had been contracted to infiltrate the scene, track down the source of the drugs and, if capture was not possible, terminate it with extreme prejudice. Days, possibly weeks, spending time in a carnival town on Konoha's budget, getting to end a horrible blight that was plaguing a renowned city and, on top of all that, getting A rank pay? Naruto was practically salivating at the prospect.

This would have been the perfect mission had it not been for one minor detail, tacked on at the very end of the mission statement. They were supposed to enter Edo Bay disguised as two regular teenagers in search of fun and excitement... for their first year anniversary. Naruto and Ino were going as a couple. Amusingly enough, Naruto and Ino both had the exact same reaction. Finger pointing and cries of, "I'm supposed to be dating her/him!" At a warning glare from Tsunade, both had quickly regained their composure and returned to attention with curt nods.

A short passing of time saw both Jounins at the Requisition Office, filling out various forms for traveling money, ID's, role-appropriate clothing and a few other minor items. When preparations had been completed, they had each returned to their homes to pack essentials. By the time the citizens of Konoha were up and about, the new couple had already left.

Naruto would later remember the trip to Edo Bay as both painful and annoying. He and Ino had been at each others throats the moment they were out of sight, and little changed during the three days march to the coastline that harbored the tourist town. Eventually though, with a scant few hours of walking left to be faced, they had both swallowed their pride and began to practice their roles together. The days ahead of them would bring many surprises.

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Naruto, despite his thickheaded demeanor, proved to be uniquely suitable to the boyfriend act. The two had to believable, yes, so public affection and romanticism was to be expected. What seemed to have caught Ino so completely off guard about it all though, was how simply amazing Naruto proved to be at it. True, he made more than a few blunders, but he was quick to recover and try to make amends. She had even confessed to him one evening, after both had imbibed more than their fare shares of sake, that he was actually better at it than anyone she had dated before. Naruto had only blushed mightily before stammering something. His words were made even more unintelligible by a noticeable slur.

Further inquiry had provided Ino with a drunken Naruto confessing through much emberassment that he had never dated before. When she had asked, "Wwwwell den Naru...Naruto, how's it, how d'you do it sho well then," his reply had been simple. "Ish just how I t'ink a lady shhould be trea- hic...ted. Hhhhh... S'ow I'd trea' you if uh, if we were uh..." He'd trailed off then, staring into those beautiful eyes of hers, and his cheeks began to burn far more than alcohol could account for. Ino had only stared at him for a moment, a blush slowly coloring her cheeks as well. She had laughed, after a time, before leaning forward suddenly to plant a kiss on his cheek. At least, that was what Naruto thought her intention might have been. She hadn't made it however, and instead passed out at the halfway mark and ended up collapsing atop of him.

When Naruto's brain had roused enough from its stupor to comprehend what was going on, he had found himself trapped beneath the most amazingly soft things he could imagine. Another moments thought had him panicking as he realized just what part, or parts rather, of Ino's anatomy he had found himself inadvertently buried beneath. The long t-shirt she had been wearing for their strategizing getting hammered was far to thin, and by the time he had extricated himself and settled her onto her futon for recovery, he was convinced that his blush might extend down to his toes. Needless to say, even as drunk as he was, sleep did not come easily to him that night.

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The morning after, Ino had gone about her routine as if nothing had happened. Naruto, only too glad to avoid the righteous fury of Yamanaka Ino, had no problem letting her forget. Soon, he too had cause to forget as their second week in Edo Bay proved much more fruitful than the first. Fewer hours were spent pretending to be ravers as 'ninja time', a term he had created to annoy Ino with, began to step up a notch. They had succeeded in making one of the local dealers and, after time spent in interrogation, were fast tracking their way closer to the source.

They still spent much of the day as just another of the many young couples in the city, a time that Naruto was quickly becoming more and more attached to, but, more often than not, they were traversing rooftops and alley-ways in search of bigger fish to fry. It became a hard act for both of them to drop and, even in the privacy of their hotel room or, occasionally, on the hunt, they spoke as lovers. Naruto would never admit to the wonderful warmth he felt inside each time her sultry voice whispered a, "Naruto-kun"

Sadly, it was not all to be fun and games. An evening of surveillance-turned-battle saw Naruto diving in front of Ino to knock her out of harms way, only to be holed thrice himself by the poison tipped bolts from a crossbow. Thankfully, the fight had finished before Naruto collapsed. What had followed was a nightmarish two days of fever induced delirium. It hadn't been all bad however; they were occasionally the kind of delusions that he would surely have been thrashed for, were Ino privy to them. 'Imagine,' Naruto had laughingly thought later, 'Ino actually hovering over me, even laying with me.' Yes, it hadn't all been bad.

After the fever broke, his recovery made the assignment even more difficult, and not just because of the shortened timetable they had to work with; things became strained on a personal level as well. Naruto, recovering rapidly thanks to the Kyuubi's help, regained his strength quickly once most of the toxins had been flushed from his system. Still too weak to go out immediately, Ino had insisted he remain in bed. So he and the kunoichi had spent much of the next few days largely confined to the room. They had talked whenever Naruto wasn't resting, and he had been delighted to discover a side of Ino that he had never imagined possible before. A side of her, he came to realize, that he felt an undeniable attraction to.

There, in those few days before operations resumed, Naruto and Ino had shared their dreams, their desires, and much more. It was shocking to see how perfectly their personalities compensated for each other. Both were loud, obnoxious, overly confident, and possessed of a complete lack of flexibility when in an argument. But where Naruto tended to rush, heedless of consequence, Ino was, well... certainly not hesitant, but more mindful of her actions at least. Where Ino fretted over details, Naruto countered by simplifying things to one main objective.

Their differences only served to further define their similarities and, on more than occasion, it became hard for him to figure out just how much of their act was play and what was something more. He was quick to brush such thoughts aside when they struck him however. While he admitted the possibility that he was putting a little too much truth into the role that he played, never once did he doubt that it was simply an assignment to the kunoichi. This hadn't stopped him from thinking about it, nor did it do anything to curb the gradually increasing amount of starring roles that Ino played in his dreams. He was only too glad to return to action upon being given a clean bill of health; another day spent in the company of the enchanting Yamanaka, and he knew he'd slip up.

After his recovery, Ino had acted a bit peculiar over the next few days. She was constantly checking on him, even gentling her approach at bossing him around. She was more affectionate in her dealings with him, and more physically open as well. Close-lipped kisses had become warm and welcoming. Loose hugs had evolved into tantalizing moments of sensual contact. She would still hit him though; Ino seemed to have no problem doing that at all. More troubling than his partner's strange behavioral change, a change that became the source of many a cold shower and constant adjustments to a painful amount of tension, was the fact that they had seemingly hit a dead end.

Ino and he had been staying in Edo Bay for close to a month by then, and the victim toll from the drug continued to rise. They did not have time to spend night after night on patrol with nothing to show for it; finally, they began to resort to more dangerous tactics. Ino would employ her Shintenshin no Jutsu to stir up trouble while Naruto guarded her body and watched from afar to see what panned out. Eventually, their tactics paid off.

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The night, startlingly cold after the usual warm-weathered day in the city, had Naruto shivering unconsciously for a moment while crouching inside a dumpster near one of the merchants storehouses. The tiny speaker tucked into his ear came to life as Ino reported her readiness. Both were eager and tense, knowing that they would have to operate flawlessly to avoid premature exposure. Naruto, closest to the building, had the job of spotting a target for Ino to snare and use as a recon agent.

The guards were positioned in such a way as to not make it obvious that there was a need for heavy security on the building, and that just made things more difficult. To get in, Naruto would need to overhear the password, and then find a range-appropriate target to approach the door with. Luck was, it seemed, on their side this evening however, and within a few hours wait they were ready. He relayed both the selected guard's position and the amusing password.

As soon as Ino gave an acknowledgement, Naruto began to make his way back to her. In no time at all, He was next to Ino's now vacant body, and more than ready to destroy an army should they try to hurt her. His attention was divided however, as he was now worried about her soul inside the target. Should she be discovered, she might suffer severe injury, or worse, death before getting the chance to release her jutsu. 'If that happens,' Naruto had thought - his lips compressed into a thin, grim line, 'There won't be a single one left to say they're sorry.'

He needn't have worried. Ino had pulled it off flawlessly, even speaking the password, 'A baby in your lap may soon dampen your spirits,' without a hint of amusement. Some time later, Ino's body stirred and, after Naruto drilled her with health questions until he was satisfied she was okay, she hastened to fill him in on the details of the building. Ino had overheard some info that proved much more valuable than they could have hoped for and, better yet, they could now avoid the unpleasantness of having to subdue everyone in the warehouse.

Less than ten hours later, they stood before the local governmental representative with their target in tow. The representative showered them in praises and sent word to the Daimyo immediately. As a special bonus for the capture, they were both given lifetime rent waivers for the hotel they had been staying in. After that, things got boring for a while, as they dealt with the political meetings and some ceremony. Following this, they were invited to a luncheon that served, so it seemed, only to give the representative a chance to wring as many 'ninja' stories out of the duo as possible.

When they were finally able to escape without seeming rude, they headed immediately back to the hotel, intent on resting after their long night of action. Upon arrival though, both discovered that they simply weren't able to fall asleep. The problem? They were too excited. Naruto and Ino had been to busy working their assignment to actually enjoy any of the activities their job included. So now that their responsibilities were alleviated, they found the lure of the city to be a bit too much to resist.

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The nightclub, Kaffeinated Kappa, had just started winding up by the time they arrived. It was a whole different experience, now that they weren't on the clock, and both had dressed to the nines for it. Ino, looking good enough to eat in his opinion, wore a mesh top over a single silken wrap, "To minimize the nosebleeds," Ino had said in a haughty voice. Her long legs were encased in a pair of shiny pleather pants that were so tight; Naruto honestly had no idea how she could breathe in them. A neon choker combined with huge loops in her ears completed the ensemble. For himself, a thick leather collar, a metallic red shirt that fit like a glove, and huge, baggy white jeans that completely covered his shoes. When Ino had stepped out of the bathroom and gave a quick spin to show off her outfit, Naruto found himself extremely glad he'd gone for the baggy jeans. A bit more embarrassing perhaps, but at least they didn't hurt as bad.

Being on the dance floor with Ino, now that they weren't racing the clock to shut down the drug ring, proved to be both the best time of his life, and possibly the most embarrassing. They had acted as a couple for so long that they were now unsure how to be anything else inside the familiar nightclub. While Naruto hardly minded the chance to dance with her one last time, he was afraid to get too close to her now that he wasn't distracted away from her body's siren song. His hormones proved to be something that caused an immediate issue. When Ino, now fully enjoying the chance to act completely wild, pressed her arse into his crotch with intent to grind, she was given cause to immediately jump back. Her gasp, upon discovering why Naruto was dancing a little stiffly, was almost hard enough to choke her.

Both of them had immediately gone several shades of crimson and practically leapt away from each other. Naruto's brain had abandoned him now, and he stood still as a statue as he tried to come up with something to say. Ino had sort of recovered first and, attempting to dispel the immediate awkwardness, had given a somewhat forced laugh before batting her eyelashes playfully at him. "Why Naruto," she had said, "I didn't know you cared." Before he had the chance to stammer out a reply, she had continued. "What will Forehead think?" Naruto was suddenly angry, and he showed it by growling out something to the effect of 'shut up,' and immediately left.

Naruto's plan had been to order another bottle, or three, of Sake and proceed to drink away his last night in Edo Bay. Having arrived back at the hotel only minutes before her, he busied himself with trying to cool his anger, as well as assuage the hurt he felt. What stopped him from pursuing his plan was the tentative touch on his arm. Whirling about at the unexpected touch, he was ready and, if truth be told, almost happy for the chance to kill some would-be attacker. When he spotted Ino standing there, one trembling lip held between her teeth, his rage died on the spot. He knew then that he must have been crazy, because he had never seen Ino looking as if she might cry, but never the less, she did.

"What..." Ino paused, swallowing around the constriction in her throat before continuing. "What did I say Naruto? I..." She had paused then, obviously unsure about which direction to head in. Naruto tried to be angry, fueling himself with thoughts like, 'Just trying to figure out the best way to make it sound even worse!' But it wasn't working, and in the back of his mind he noticed the slight quaver in her voice. He realized she was speaking again, and had quickly tuned in the rest.

"-Ought you... you liked Sakura. I mean, I know you'd rather be here with her, right?" It was at this point that Naruto snapped for the second time that evening. The words were exploding out of his mouth before he was even aware that he'd thought of them. "No! I gave up on her a long time ago you stupid bitch!" Deathly silence followed his last word, and anger spread across Ino's features like wildfire. "What... did you just call me?" Her voice still quavered, but it was due to an entirely different emotion this time. As irate as he was right then though, Naruto hadn't cared.

"You heard what I said, Ino-chan," The honorific rolled off his tongue like acid, and he could see Ino readying for a verbal volley of her own. He didn't let her get it out though, he kept right on shouting. "It was you, okay! You did it to me! You've **been** doing it to me! You've been driving me out of my Kami damned mi-" Naruto's shouts stopped in mid-word. It hadn't been by choice, rather, she'd hit him when he'd been too distracted to see it coming. Strangely, it hadn't hurt. For some reason it felt almost... good. The wheels turning in his brain suddenly gave a lurch as he realized he was being kissed. Ino. Was. Kissing. Him. It was no peck either: hungry and demanding, threatening to devour him whole. Naruto gladly reciprocated.

It was almost like combat after that; hands were everywhere and everything was delivered with crushing force. They had traveled across the room in the space of a few harsh breaths. When Ino was backed into the bed, Naruto nearly threw her down on top of it before jumping atop of her. Nails and teeth, given strength by out-of-control lust, tore cloth from skin with zero regard to the fabric itself. By the time Naruto even began to wonder if he should have been gentle upon his first thrust, the opportunity was long past. Her screams assaulted his senses in such a delicious manner, and all he could think about was that he wanted her louder. Ino's fingernails tore bloody furrows into his back while her teeth damn near took chunks from his shoulders and neck. It was fast paced, intense and amazing; everything his dreams had always promised it would be.

But... somewhere along the line, things had changed. Gone were the growls and screams; replaced by the sweet sounds her dulcet moans and the deeper timbre of his matching groans. Where all touch had been violent at the start, hands now caressed and fingers twined together. When they had kissed, it was like magic: sweet and tender. When they spoke, it was no longer guttural and dirty, but filled with endless sweet nothings. Words that he realized he'd never meant before that moment spilled from his mouth and were answered in kind by hers. When exhaustion came to claim them some time later, Naruto held Ino to his chest and stroked her long hair until she fell asleep.

Eventually though, he had to get up to do some thinking. So, with a clever kawarimi, he was able to get up without waking her. He'd thrown on a pair of pants and gone to the window; which brought him back to present. What had it all meant, he wondered. Even now, he was unable to answer.

"Naruto-kun?" Came the soft, slightly hoarse voice from beside him. He turned to her with a smile on his face. "Yeah, Ino-chan?" There was a 'poof-ing' sound as the replacement Naruto was sucker punched into reverting to its pillow existence. "C'mere." That was all the encouragement Naruto needed, and he gratefully stripped before slipping back beneath the covers, his arms wrapping her up tightly once more. As they both began to drift back to sleep however, thoughts still plagued his mind. 'Is this what love feels like? Am I in love with Ino-chan," Naruto wondered. After about ten minutes, when he still wasn't able to answer his own questions, he gave Ino a little nudge. Not getting any response, he gave her a gentle squeeze and softly spoke her name, "Ino-chan?"

"Mmm ," came her tired reply. Naruto was silent a moment as he thought up the best way to ask her. He didn't want to look like a fool in front of her, in case he was wrong, so he was hoping for some 'round about way of asking to pop into his head. Nothing came however, so he went with his usual tact: being blunt and hoping to avoid injury. "Is this love," he asked. Ino didn't answer immediately, making his heart hammer in his chest as nervousness worked its way into his brain. After an uncomfortably long for Naruto pause, Ino shrugged against him before answering with, "Something like that." Her voice had a slight teasing lilt to it, and in the darkness, Naruto grinned.

(AN: Ahh.. I uh, fixed the first chapter so it's not the whole damn story in one shot... makes it a little easier to read, I think. 'Sides, it started out as a one shot anyway.)


	2. Chapter 2

Epilogue. 

Naruto would have loved to tell everyone that things had immediately evolved into a fairy tail romance; or maybe not, both blondes were mercurial in their moods and such a situation would have more than probably chaffed. This was not how it occurred in any case. The couple's first fight was started in the very next morning.

"Naruto!" Ino's shout, despite the feelings they shared, was not the most welcome of noises first thing in the morning. With a groan, Naruto turned over ever so slightly in bed. Cracking an eye from his new position, he was rewarded with the sight of Ino violently stabbing a pointed finger at the toilet; the seat was up. Having been a bachelor since time out of memory, the wrongness of the situation had no immediate meaning to him. Ino was quick to remedy this situation in a screeching manner that left Naruto with no room to doubt his guilt.

It amused him to recall Ino-chan's reaction when he sleepily suggested that she drop the toilet lid herself. She had marched menacingly toward him, taken him by one ear and promptly dragged him to the bathroom. He had been berated for insensitivity quite loudly and made to put things right. He had been in a sour mood immediately afterwards; thinking that perhaps it had been simply some sort of bizarre one-night stand… that Ino didn't really care for him at all.

Naruto's mood; still somewhat light and fuzzy despite the scolding, took yet another distinctively negative turn as Ino, clad only in a towel, prepared the shower without a word to him. His sudden depression was alleviated before he even had time to leave the bathroom. Ino's voice, now clear of the malice it had held a moment ago, called out to him as he turned to go. "Where are you going, Naruto-kun? We both need a shower after…" Her sentence had quickly faded out before any mention of their nocturnal activities could be voiced. When Naruto turned about in happy disbelief, noticing the uncharacteristic blush upon Ino's beautiful features. He was, shortly there after, treated to the awe-inspiring sight of Ino's nude grace upon dropping the towel. Her blush only intensified when his eyes wouldn't leave her alone, and she'd quickly jumped behind the curtain. With a laugh, Naruto hastened to remove the boxer shorts he'd donned while being dragged to the bathroom. Before he could jump in however, the curtain parted to admit Ino's head back into his vision. "I'm warning you though, don't get fresh!" Naruto quickly promised that he wouldn't and got in.

He would soon break that promise, and he had the vague sense that Ino would have been disappointed if he hadn't.

Ino was lost in thought for much of the trip back to Konoha. If truth were to be told, she was nervous; an emotion that didn't sit well with the kunoichi. She was unsure of how to proceed once the familiar faces of their friends again surrounded them. Many questions flooded her mind, and very few of them had any obvious answers. She was worried about how her parents would react to this startling development. She was worried about what complications would arise in her mission life from having such a boyfriend as he. There were a great many things that plagued her with doubts. But every time she looked to the smiling blonde next to her, every time he squeezed her hand or wrapped his arms around her, such doubts were banished on the breeze. Ino was, after all, a smart and talented kunoichi from the strongest of the five main hidden villages. 'So,' she decided, 'what is there to worry about?'

There were other issues at hand as well. Naruto, Ino discovered, was a very publicly affectionate person now that they were together. He was also every bit the tease that Ino herself was. He knew what he did to her when he spoke a certain way, or touched the right spots in a seemingly innocent manor. It was a private thrill for Ino, for although she had dated previously, she had never gone beyond some light petting. No one had ever made her shiver bodily just from a soft caress of her cheek. There was simply something otherworldly about Naruto's intuition.

Oh sure, she knew Naruto did indeed have something otherworldly inside of him, yes. But it was not some demonic influence that made him so perfect for her, she surmised, though perhaps it helped. Naruto seemed to genuinely desire to please only her. Beyond even that though, was the way he looked to her. No matter what boy she had fixated upon in the past, Ino had never felt completely free of competition. With Naruto, she was completely at ease. Yes, she would catch him giving the occasional woman a glance, and would deliver a teasing scolding promptly. Such things were natural though; Naruto did the same to her whenever her eyes would stray to a set of handsome features. No, it was not that others had ceased to exist entirely for him, merely that they no longer mattered. For her, Naruto was the only man in the world that mattered and, she was convinced, it was the same for him… funny how things work out, no?

If she had ever needed convincing of his commitment to her, it came in the form of the female population in Konoha…

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When they arrived, Ino had been in amazingly high spirits. The trip back had been perfection: full of heated arguments, minor skirmishes, physical intimacy and Naruto swaggering comically around their camp-sights. The glow that now surrounded him must have been like a peacock's feathers; as the women that Naruto typically associated with now seemed to pay more attention to him. It was a prime example of Darwinian selection; once someone found him desirable, she proved to others that he had desirable traits. Naruto was cutely flustered by the attention, but it set Ino on edge. This was especially true when Sakura had arrived on the scene.

"Oy, Naruto, Ino! Congratulations!" Sakura had appeared as if out of some dream nightmare looking, Ino had to grudgingly admit, positively stunning in a new outfit. Knowing that she would be out of town for her recently re-acquired best friend's birthday, Ino had bought her a stay at an out-of-town exclusive spa. The place had been reputed to change lives, give makeovers, and leave even the most plain of women looking good enough to eat. Sadly, this had worked wonders for the girl. Ino couldn't have said for sure, but she thought she might have noticed Naruto's eyes bug out slightly. He had immediately gone to her and hugged his old teammate and friend.

Before Ino had been given enough time to work herself into a fury over this; especially considering that Sakura didn't go with predictability and hit him for his actions, Naruto had stepped away from her friendly embrace and immediately retreated back to Ino's side with a near-euphoric grin on his face. "Sakura-chan! You'll never guess what happened!" At Naruto's words, Ino realized that they had yet to announce their relationship to anyone. Sakura's actions seemed a bit odd, and it worried her, considering how he had been with her up until this point. Worries were laid to rest as, in answer to Sakura's query, Naruto had picked her up, spun her around ever so slightly and kissed Ino with such passion that it left her breathless. She could only give Sakura, who stood there with her mouth open in shock, a dazed smile as Naruto began to happily describe his newfound love, and extol his newfound lover. Things began to happen quickly after that.

Ino and Naruto went to the Hokage tower to give their report straight to Tsunade, where they had received much praise for their actions and for the manner in which they handled the take down of the crooked official. Naruto, not being content to leave it at that, moved to embrace the Hokage and fill her in on what had occurred behind the scenes. What followed had been a truly embarrassing scene for Ino. The Hokage, moved to tears, wrapped Ino up in a bone-breaking hug and kissed her on the cheek. After saying something to the effect of, "Welcome to the family," Tsunade had begun drilling the embarrassed teens on how it had occurred and, much to their further embarrassment, how far it had progressed.

Other such encounters occurred, though with varying degrees of blushing on the couple's part. Iruka-sensei had been thrilled for the two, and had, thankfully, let them tell only what they wanted to. Old man Ichiraku heaped mounds of steaming ramen in front of the couple and shared quite a few laughs as he affected a mother hen in his actions. Ayame though, Ino noted with mild amusement, gave Ino more than the occasional glare. Jiraiya proved to be an interesting encounter. The old man was currently in a coma now, thanks to the combined wrath of both blondes. He had incurred their wrath when he had asked, with a perverted look on his face no less, exactly what their sex life was like; "For research purposes," he had tried to explain as the two had advanced menacingly upon him.

---------

Time, as it is want to do, moved on rather quickly between the two. The blonde duo that had returned to Konoha as an unsure couple began to solidify almost immediately. Very few people seemed to take issue with them; even Ino's own parents had been startlingly easy to win over. Within a month of their return, they no longer reserved all but the chaste of kisses for private, and instead could be seen greedily devouring each other's lips wherever they went.

Both Jounin's career's suffered slightly at the beginning, but after much heated discussion and a few lonely nights, Ino and Naruto had reached something of a compromise; 'Fun now, worry later' - a simple philosophy, yes, but it worked for them. Neither blonde had ever had more than token ability at planning for the future. Naruto had never questioned a future as the Hokage, and Ino had never once imagined her future self as anything less than Konoha's most beautiful and successful Kunoichi. Despite these long standing goals, neither blonde had ever made any real plans before. At the beginning, Ino had simply assumed that her natural prowess and aesthetics would take her there - Naruto had been much the same. So worry became something they vowed to feel only when they were the ones' waiting at home for the other's return.

--------

A half year's time saw them discussing apartments and, before everyone knew it, enough time had passed to see them celebrating Ino's 18th birthday in grand fashion. This would prove to be night worth remembering for both good and bad - love and incarceration.

Konoha was in festival. The past year had been a hotbed for civil unrest in fire country; foreign invasion had severely unsettled the peace that reigned across the outlying territory around the village of the Leaf. The insurgents had finally been put down in a last strike for glory and gore but with the judicious use of both Ninja and mercenary Samurai to supplement the countries Militia. Now, a scant week from the insurgents' defeat, Tsunade had thrown together an event to help ease the clinging aura of danger and display, as a Hidden Village must always do, that Konoha was undiminished and unworried.

The festival was set to incorporate games, food, rides, contests and stage shows. All in all, it made for the perfect opportunity. A band, one Naruto wasn't exactly crazy about, called the Missing Nin's was set to come into town the night of Ino's birthday. Sadly, for the Missing Nin's were Ino's favorite, she had arrived home from a mission much to late to pick up a ticket. Naruto had hardly been able to contain his excitement at not being able to go, bishonen bands weren't really his style after all.

His joy at missing the concert was short lived however, Ino had been rather angry with him for his reaction and, when Ino was angry, her favorite activity was to make Naruto miserable. Faced with the possibility of going perhaps as long as a month with no more physical intimacy beyond what his own hands could provide him, Naruto had hastened to remedy the situation. Surrounded by the Yamanaka clan, along with Tsunade, Team Gai, and the rest of the once 'fabled' Rookie Nine, Naruto had remedied his previous mistakes by surprising her with tickets up front - Ino had nearly hyperventilated on the spot.

_The concert had been going fine for over two hours, and Naruto could not imagine anyone feeling more bored than he. For, at this very moment, Naruto found himself in a previously unheard-of level of hell. Here was where the ears were made to bleed from the heinous outcry of a thousand screaming fan-girls. Here was where one experienced the unique desire to simultaneously bleach and burn one's own eyes in an attempt to save them from having to bear further witness to the androgynous horror of; not one, but five Sasuke look-a-likes who swaggeringly played to the crowd. 'Yes,' Naruto realized. 'I was right, bishonen's are indeed the source of all evil.'_

_The torture was soon to end now though, a fact that made Naruto a very happy ninja. Judging by the end time on the ticket, he figured that he had to suffer through two, possibly three more masculinity-sapping songs before he could go home and demand wonderfully kinky and disturbing acts of physical depravity the likes of which would leave himself, and the darling Yamanaka woman, unfit for duty and possibly in need of medical attention. He was very much looking forward to the moment they returned to the privacy of their bedroom, and was concentrating so much on this wonderful scenario, that he almost missed what happened next. On stage, the prettiest of the pretty boys was currently starting up a love song, and he was attempting to pull Ino on stage to sing it with him._

_Naruto nearly rocketed out of his seat but found him-self restrained by a glare that promised many a night spent sleeping out-of-home should he interfere. So, reluctantly he settled back into his chair - figuring that it was all part of the show, and that it really must be an amazing stroke of luck form Ino's point of view. Besides which, he trusted her implicitly. So he sat, and he waited, and he glared, and he growled, and he snarled, and he struggled to reign in his killer intent; but most importantly, he continued to sit no matter how much his jealous rage boiled. _

_He would later praise and damn himself for his rare show of restraint as, for him anyway, waiting through even just four minutes of seeing some pretty boy, especially after the constant overshadowing from Sasuke when it came to girls, flirt and sing romantic lyrics to Ino, while getting entirely too close the whole time, and not exploding into action or simply exploding… was nothing short of a miracle. But when one song became two, and Ino had still not been let off stage yet, the ruthless animal inside Naruto began to rattle it's cage. _

_The scene before him, as Ino went starry eyed and slack-jawed over the lead singer, while the singer himself was pulling all sorts of dirty little tricks to keep her that way, was a recipe for murder. When the second song ended, and the Missing Nins' still had a new female co-lead, Naruto was no longer able to fully contain the vast amount of killing intent that rolled off of him like a fog. People began to scatter, nervously milling about to clear a wide hemisphere around Naruto, but he hardly noticed. He was however very much concerned, in a small part of his mind that he paid little attention to at the moment, about transforming here in the concert - but mostly, he was concerned about the fact the lyrics for their third and, one way or another, final song with Ino had rather… _suggestive_ lyrics. His concern only grew when the song was drawing to a close._

_There they were, pretty boy and beautiful Ino, on stage in the final moments of 'I'll be your genie of the lamp, Just rub me right, girl.' and the pretty boy was moving further along the path of his demise with each passing word. He had an arm half-slung around Ino's waist, and was leaning closer and closer, as if to kiss her for the grand finale. Luckily for the bishi, Ino moved the mic in the way as the song closed. His lover returned to him, Naruto found some of the rage and bloodlust retreat, but only for a moment - because the next words out of the lovely future Miss Uzumaki were a happily squealed, "He's invited us back stage to hang out!"_

_Keeping himself in check; having decided that murdering one of Ino's favorite J-pop Idles would be a decidedly stupid maneuver, Naruto grumbled his acceptance. His calm was mildly restored through meditative mental chants, but even repeating 'It's _her_ day, not mine,' and other phrases like, 'If it makes her happy, it can't be that bad,' in conjunction with an ever-present 'Bad Naruto, no kill sissy,' were only enough to ensure the bishi never caught onto the many murder plots circulating in Naruto's mind. Ino, who easily picked up his turmoil, was alternately reassuringly squeezing his hand, and warningly digger her nails into his palm._

_The minute counter on the wall clock across from him seemed to be going in slow motion, but despite the agonizing pace it went at, it still covered too much ground. Naruto realized that they had been at this little hangout session for nearly an hour, and his patience had just about worn out, even for Ino. He began to pray, not that it would end, not that the bishonen would suffer a sudden coronary and keel on the spot, but that, for reasons he was willing to be flexible with, he would have a chance to bring down demonic fury unto this self-serving pretentious asshole who dared to make overtures on _his_ woman._

_Thankfully, Kami answered him; saying, "Go forth, child of rage and terror, bring woe to thine enemies, smite he who is without muscular tone, calluses, healthy complexion, and masculinity." For, not a single minute after his latest violent prayer, the ill-fated nancy-boy, apparently emboldened by Naruto's lack of violent reaction to his advances thus far, had not only placed a hand upon Ino's leg, but was also whispering into her ears in such a manner that his every word kissed her. Naruto sent a silent thank you to the heavens, and promptly launched himself into a blazing fury of bodily harm. Such was the speed of his initial assault that the back of his head caught the also furious, and ring enhanced backhanded slap from a startled and enraged Ino. This hardly fazed him however - he merely continued raining blow after blow into the woman's body. Despite the enthusiastic support Ino was giving Naruto for his fully justified jealousy, indeed she had been wondering why it hadn't shown yet, she also tried very hard to pry him off - succeeding only just a moment before the police arrived on the scene._

_Naruto surrendered with little resistance, chatting amiably with the burly policemen; who were having perhaps a little too much fun with the 'Does it hurt when I press here' game that they had started with the lead-singer. And Ino raged and roared about the unfairness of imprisoning her boyfriend just for defending her honor, "- and on my 18th birthday no less!" Naruto spent the night in a holding cell surrounded by twenty-two attentive convicts, all listening in rapture as he told them again and again about his defeat and defacement of a J-Pop idle._

When they told the story to friends and family, it always ended there. Naruto's miraculous release the next day, and no follow up lawsuits were explained away by the finding of cocaine in a footlocker that Naruto had knocked over in his fury, so that everyone would just smile and laugh, wag finger's at them and pronounce the couple lucky. Only in private did they ever revel in the sheer insanity and intensity of the actual events that followed his arrest. Had things remained the way they were, though Naruto enjoyed his first night, he would be looking at possible years in confinement. So, even though Naruto had alternately violently scolded and lovingly held her after the deed was done, Ino had been left with no choice but risk a joint sentence.

_On the flip side of the coin, Ino spent Naruto's first night in a nail-biting state of mind. Such was the care for her nails, that only her greatest fears and anxieties could cause her to defile them by twitchy nibbles - Naruto was topping them all this evening. "No matter how strong my Naruto-kun may be, he had a full stomach of ramen and he'll probably fall asleep! There's all sorts of criminals there, some of whom he was instrumental in getting them into their current residences." Much of her mental pacing proceeded in this fashion, picturing scenarios of the most horrible kinds. Rape, disembowelment, dismemberment, even simple beatings would be devastating, and these were only a few of the things she worried over. But with each new imagining she only had one thought, she would get him out._

_As dawn rose, a side of Ino, rare as a blue moon, emerged and stole away through the streets. Garbed in her special order stealth suit, brought all the way from the paramilitary scientists' far into the icy north's of what was once Snow Country, she advanced confidently onto the police station. The suit, with just a small amount of chakra, acted like a perfect camouflage hengi. With the mask pulled down and her hair contained, a small amount of focused chakra caused the suit to blend in, shadow for shadow, pattern for pattern, with the nearest object of suitable size. So, with a little bit of 'ninja-nuity' , Ino was able to position herself in just the right spot to be able to _Shintenshin _the chief of police, while keeping her body perfectly hidden and safe… providing she rescued Naruto within the next twenty minutes or so when her air ran out. _

_Controlling the chief made her objective even easier than she'd planned. When she'd reached the monitoring office, she'd simply gotten the head jailor's attention before saying, "Let the kid out, that little singing bastard has me daughter in tears every night because he never notices her at concerts… an'ta top that off, she's blowin' all my hard earned money on goin' all over chasin'im." The Jailor had laughed, mentioning procedures and the like, right up until Ino delivered a swift sword-hand to the base of his neck. She winced inwardly, considering how much extra work she was making for herself, before hauling him over to the small window so she could target him later. The key was taken and quickly used, calling Naruto out with a wink and strong-arming the others who approached. _

_Back in the hall, she quickly showed him the access window in the jailors office, explaining that he should hurry and get the man somewhere nearby so they could mess around with his memory a little bit. She'd then helped him find his bag of personal affects before quickly returning to the station. Her occasional stint as clerk at the Hokage's tower had given her the necessary skills to appropriate files quickly, and this was a very good thing for Ino at that moment. In the privacy of the bathroom, after Naruto's arrest report, along with all other pertaining materials, was snatched up, she force-fed the files to her captive body and finally released her jutsu - returning to her body with just enough to slip into shadows before her body was uncovered._

_Later, they'd returned the jailor to his office through the same window, his mind now clear of any memory of Naruto or the chief's recent visit, courtesy to a seal Naruto had learned from his ero-sennin. After that, and only once they were in the safe confines of home, did the yelling, laughing, scolding, kissing, screaming, snuggling and eventual passion begin._

The true ending of the story was only for certain nights. When they lie in bed together, faces flushed from youth-full intimacy, filling the air with sweet nothings and the quiet laughter of love at play; they would occasionally retell the story as a fond remembrance of what love could make people do, and what love gave them strength to do for each-other.

There were many instances over the years when Naruto's jealousy or, indeed even Ino's, got one or the other into a situation that required rescue, though only once or twice was it from the police.

---------

A way's down the road of life saw Naruto as the proud ANBU he always knew he would be. In addition to this vaunted position, he often had to leave for long periods of time on political missions meant to test his mettle, as Tsunade was actively grooming him for a position as Rokudaime. Ino was also where she imagined herself to be at just past twenty, a proud and success-full kunoichi of dual talent and career; half her work days were spent in interrogation and infiltration, the other half went to sabotage and assassination. She was very good at her work, and though her sweeper skills were in high demand, she refused all but a few - preferring instead to concentrate more on the other three.

She and Naruto had long since left their small apartment behind and were now living in a cozy house some half-hour's walk from the Hokage Tower. The location wasn't great, and though Ino swore daily and truthfully that she didn't care as long as he was there with her, it's close proximity to Naruto's old poor-side apartment building always put Naruto a little on edge. Despite that, both enjoyed having a place that was truly their own immensely, and when both were home they delighted in the simple pleasures of home-ownership. They lived together in their own quirky brand of harmony, happily living each day as they came.

Their shared carefree attitude, much focused on spontaneity, made planning ahead useless. Why would they plan for dinner on Thursday, when it was four days away? Why would they plan a laundry day, when you could just wash your intended outfit now? Sadly, not all things mesh with such a philosophy as these two possessed. One day, during a 'doctor' visit prompted by dizzy spells, nausea, and some juicy gossip to share with her 'doctor', Ino heard Sakura gasp, pronouncing Ino pregnant before rubbing her own distended stomach. This, more than almost anything else could have, threw a giant monkey wrench into the Uzumaki/Yamanaka household.

-----

Within three days of hearing 'The News,' Naruto had withdrawn from his position in ANBU, though he agreed to stay on part time as an advisor - his priorities now including much more home time with his lover. Ino berated him for the stupidity of his actions, claiming that she didn't need to be coddled, and "- besides, I'm not even showing yet, so I'll still have just as much work for another few months at least." After much heated argument over the subject, Naruto returned to his position, making Ino promise to tell him the moment it gave her any difficulty. Regardless of her spoken intentions, Ino began taking on far fewer missions and concentrating more on interrogation. Naruto was more than fine with this, and he changed as much of his schedule around to be home with her when she was there, if Ino had any misgivings, she hadn't voiced them.

Eventually, though not nearly as long-in-coming as she'd hoped, Ino's pregnancy reached a point where she was no longer able to perform up to standard without jeopardizing her baby. Once she'd been grounded, Naruto quickly took the opportunity to follow suit and withdraw from his commanding position once again. He went out for accreditation and immediately put his name in for becoming a Gennin squad commander.

Though she appreciated all the time he was able to spend around the house with her in her boredom, Ino had no problems keeping entertained when he was out and about with his students. Besides Sakura and herself, Hinata was pregnant with Shino's child; Ten-Ten had a bouncing baby boy on her knee that was approaching the terrible two's. The child had been born not nine months from the day she and Lee had raced out of the chapel with a smile. When this group of mothers and mothers-to-be got together, nothing but mischief ensued.

The main problem for Ino however, was not her pregnancy and forced maternity leave from any assignment above in-town c and d rank missions, but rather the immense peer pressure she and Naruto were now under. Of the rookie nine and Gai's team, Ino and Naruto were the only ones not married. Everyone seemed to think they were crazy, and when asked to explain, they would cite any of the numerous reasons that everyone but the couple themselves seemed to see. Weather it be the fact that they'd been together since early-teens, the fact that they were living together, the fact that they were perfect for each other and never find someone else, or other such nonsense. So many reasons were given to the two, but the two always laughed it off. They knew all of these things quite well, but no one else seemed to understand that they didn't need someone to put rings or whatever the Japanese equivalent is on their fingers and say they would be together till death do they part, no! Even in death, for it was often a topic of any loving Shinobi relationships' conversations, they were confident of their spirit-bond to keep them together. Why then, if they knew all this, should they go through the hassle?

But, the moment the reason, "Do you really want your little girl to grow up known as a bastard all her life,' came onto the table a year or three after her birth, Ino had immediate misgivings. When the matter was brought up to Naruto, he hastily agreed for his daughter's sake. At 23, Shinobi marriages are typically at least going on their first year running. By that age, the hot blooded soldiers-for-hire had either found someone for life, or become dedicated to bachelorhood - for life is unpredictably short in their world, and romances are always fast building by necessity. Never the less, Naruto and Ino both had long since entered their twenty third year, and both had birthday's drawing in. Despite that, and the fact that marriage was a lot of hassle as they'd predicted, they would delay no further.

The wedding was on the small side; just close friends and family, with Tsunade as the master of ceremony, Nejii as the Man of Honor, and Sakura as the Maid of Honor. When it was over, Ino shed real tears of joy at the unexpected warmth she felt inside of her at being a wife, being called Misses Ino Uzumaki. They were given a long vacation time for their honeymoon and were whisked away to a nice little resort paid for by their guests. They enjoyed themselves immensely, and left with mischievous laughter trailing behind them as they snuck away from their room. The maid would later be seen standing, open mouthed in shock by the recently vacated room's entrance. The couple had happily left the room a horrifying mess as testament to the romantic ambiance surrounding the resort.

Upon their return, it went back to business as usual: Naruto to his nearly Jounin squad, and Ino to her interrogation and infiltration apprentice. One day, some months later, after some prompting from Tsunade, Ino agreed to a small birthday dinner party for Naruto. So instead of their usual visit to Edo Bay. Tsunade was putting together this little party because she was very seldom able to get out and see everyone as often as she used to, and she'd like to congratulate the Uzumakis' for their successes with their trainee's as well. Ino had happily agreed to come, and went home to shower and change into something more appropriate for a dinner party. She had gotten a hold of Naruto and told him to get home, get cleaned up, and put on the outfit she'd lain out for him while she picked up Hitomi, their daughter, up from daycare. By the time she returned, Naruto was putting the finishing touches on his outfit. He put Hitomi into her cute little infant sized kimono-type-thing while Ino took the time to put on some makeup and replace her usual studs with some shiny new gold loops. When all was taken care of, The Uzumaki trio made their way to the party.

Half way to the appointed spot, a sudden explosion lit the sky over the center of town and, not a moment later; a messenger approached them out of breath. His message was short and choppy, testament to the speed at which he'd run. "Quick! The… Hokage… in trouble! Terrorists! The town… stage!" Though the messenger tried in vain to get all this information out in time, Naruto was off like a shot the moment trouble was mentioned. He and Ino quickly raced off across the rooftop's pausing only long enough to drop Hitomi off at Ino's mother's house. Free of that worry, the two practically flew to the center of town. Upon arrival, though the area was dark, the two of them immediately rushed in despite not knowing the dangers - concern for the Hokage over rode common sense. By the time either of them realized that they had stumbled into a trap, it was too late, the trap had sprung.

Light's went on everywhere and a great cheer rose up as the couple stood frozen in place. Tsunade, dressed in the formal attire of the Konoha Hokage, stepped forward and rest a hand on each of their shoulders. Though the ceremony was long, and the honor, congratulations, praises and curses were many, at the end of it all, both would scarcely remember any of it. At 24, Naruto had finally become Hokage. The next few weeks were quite hectic: having to move into the Hokage tower, having to get all the paperwork in order, and the countless hours Naruto spent learning the Ins and Outs of being a Hokage. All in all, it was rough for a while, but Ino was forever at his side, helping him through the rough times and celebrating the easy ones right along with him. Having achieved his dreams, all of them in fact, at last... Naruto was truly happy.

In the many years that followed, Naruto led Konoha into a newly prosperous era; one in which Shinobi and kunoichi alike received better training and more assignments. Konoha, inside of 10 years, outgrew its walls. Foreign trade was coming in strong and local merchants saw wondrous profit increases thanks to new venues for tourism. Yes, Naruto and Ino generally agreed, this was a great time to raise Hitomi in; and it was. At the tender age of thirteen, on her first try no less, Uzumaki Hitomi became Chuunin. After letting her rest the next day through, Ino threw a huge party; inviting all of Hitomi's friends and teammates.

-------

At the age of 13, Hitomi was a very precocious girl, she'd inherited her fathers tenacity and seemingly endless supply of luck alongside his insatiable hunger for ramen - thankfully, she'd inherited everything else, including her mothers slim, athletic and top-heavy figure as puberty made evident, from her mother. She was currently sitting at the table between her Aunt Sakura and her mother. Having passed her Chuunin exam just yesterday, her mother and various aunts were throwing her a celebration for 'just us girls'.

Right now, they were all laughing and swapping stories from their own Chuunin days, happily entertaining Hitomi's gathered friends with glimpses into the exciting future of better-ranked Kunoichi's'. Hitomi's mind was on an entirely different train of thought however, and after careful deliberation, she decided to voice her thoughts into a brief silence. "Momma, what about Daddy made you fall in love with him?" At the question, Ino blinked, then turned a grinning face to her daughter, saying "Oh? Is my little girl falling in love with someone at last? You've changed your mind so frequently it's comforting to know you're ready to settle down." There were many giggles that followed her mother's statement, but the laughter really turned up a notch when Sakura interjected with a "Like you have room to talk Ino… like mother like daughter!" Ino's response only kept the laughter coming. "This from the woman who was dating four other people at the time Nejii proposed!"

Eventually, things began to settle down again, and Hitomi regained their attention by repeating her former question with more force. Ino smiled softly and merely shrugged. "Well…" she paused then, taking a sip from her sake while studying her daughter a moment, letting the anticipation build. "He is known as a stamina freak and, trust your mother on this dear, it's more than justified." Sakura choked on her drink, much like most of the other women at the table, trying desperately to stifle a laugh at the look of horror on Hitomi's face.

Her cry of "EWWWW! Mo-ther! Grosse!" could be heard clear across Konoha.


	3. Chapter 3

**(AN: **I noticed a bunch of people had Love or Something like It on alert, so I decided to give you guys soemthing to look at, heh. Sorry it's not a new chapter. By the way, I wrote this, and I'm a little paranoid about it, so help me out,eh? If you find soemone ripping it off, tell me so I may track them down and politely rebuke them to death.**)  
**

**Watercrest Bay**

Deep in the heart of the world left unseen  
Un-traveled, untouched, run waters so clean  
Where the heather is softer  
And the grass shines so green  
That you'd never imagine  
(Not even for a beat)  
That there'd been others before you  
To bask in this scene.

'T is a place like no other  
Unique you might say,  
Where an hour's a life time  
And whole life time's - a day  
For here; all is different  
As fantasy holds sway  
Where even air shimmers  
In Watercrest Bay.

Down by the Watercrest  
Where the waves seem like glass  
The most exotic of creatures  
Swarm close to break fast.  
'T is a place full of magic  
Like a glimpse to the past  
Where nature is reigning  
In this landscape so vast.

Be observant and listen  
As your feet blaze a trail  
For more secrets lay hidden  
Than your eyes could entail  
'Cause out here by the bayside  
From where mystery doth hail  
Is a world of great legend  
Where all truth is tall-tale.

You may come to a place  
Where the hills - soft as down  
Play host to a beauty  
Like no mortal has found  
She may beckon you hither  
Till your step becomes bound  
Where her smile - so enchanting  
Turns your world full around.

This maiden will lead you  
Where fact has no grip  
To the Sereni-Tree grove  
Where she'll give you the slip  
But with her laughter of lovers'  
As your own Will o' the Wisp  
You'll spend your time happily  
Seeking after her - like sailor to ship.

But despite her sweet promises  
Like lust-full honey in your ear  
As dark finds this meadow  
It loses all cheer  
For just as the sun sets  
And the moon's face comes to rear  
Your lover will find you  
But no more the maiden - I fear.

For there in the hills  
Where the ocean meets earth  
In a preserve of gods making  
Strange creatures find berth  
So the form that will seek you  
No thousand words are worth  
A terrible seductress  
No howls her mirth.

For as the moon rises  
Above the Watercrest Bay  
The greatest of She-Wolves  
Has come fourth to play  
Like a cat with a mouse  
Or a child's cruel way  
She now claims her new lover  
And ensures that he'll stay.

So heed this late warning  
And your wits - please do keep  
Run away from the promises  
Don't follow blind like a sheep  
Dally not in meadows  
Or trouble's all that you'll reap  
For despite being paradise  
Beauty is still **only** skin deep.


End file.
